The Telegraph - Tom Phillips, Shanghai and agencies China has tested a long-range missile capable of intercepting satellites, US intelligence sources have claimed. On Monday night local time a rocket was sent into space from a launch centre in Sichuan province, southwest China. Beijing said the launch was part of a scientific data-collecting mission. But that version [...]

BBC Russia has sent sophisticated anti-ship missiles to Syria, US media report. The New York Times quotes unnamed US officials as saying the missiles could be used to counter any potential future foreign military intervention in Syria. Without confirming details, Russia’s foreign minister said Russian supplies did not break any international rules. It comes amid growing [...]

The Telegraph – Emma Rowley Britain is on track to “accelerate” its shale gas program, according to Michael Fallon, the energy minister. The Government will next year launch the UK’s 14th onshore licensing round, he said, announcing that engineering consultancy AMEC has been hired to do the environmental assessment of plots’ suitability for exploration. The [...]

BBC – Jonathan Amos Water drilled from rock in a North American mine is among the oldest yet found on Earth, say scientists. Novel dating techniques used by the Canadian and UK team suggest the fluid is at least 1.5 billion years old. The water was probably once on the surface and then percolated through [...]

BBC – James Gallagher Human cloning has been used to produce early embryos, marking a “significant step” for medicine, say US scientists. The cloned embryos were used as a source of stem cells, which can make new heart muscle, bone, brain tissue or any other type of cell in the body. The study, published in the [...]